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There is so much information out there about planning a wedding -- but how do you know what is right, what will work for you, and more importantly -- what the truth is?

When I was planning my own wedding, I kept turning to the internet for answers, but always came up empty-handed. For some reason, the answers that I found weren't quite cutting it- they just didn't feel like they were "right." I found myself wanting to the know the truth about planning a wedding. After my own wedding, I took a wedding planning class to learn those truths, and soon after, I started planning and designing weddings. In my years working with brides, I discovered that many of them had the same questions about weddings that I had. Which is why I set out to educate brides about all things wedding -- the good, the bad, and the ugly!

So what exactly are some of these truths about wedding planning that you should know?

Truth #1: You get what you pay for. I know we hear this all the time in every aspect of life, and when it comes to weddings, it's not any different. Want an amazing photographer? Be ready to pay more than $1,000. Want everything to go smoothly on your wedding day? Well if you're paying experienced professionals, you most certainly can! As the saying goes, you can't expect champagne when you have a beer budget! Your budget is what it is, but just keep this tidbit in mind when you're evaluating the expectations that you have for your wedding.

Truth #2: Planning a wedding takes a lot of time, and it's hard work! Sure, when you start planning your wedding, it's exciting and fun and new. You buy magazines, start looking at wedding dresses, scour blogs with tons of pretty images, and start dreaming up your wedding. But then you have a million appointments to go to. Payments to make. Schedules to create. People to organize. Emails to answer. There is a reason why there are wedding planners -- because wedding planning does in fact take a lot of time and work to keep everything organized! If you're prepared to take on something equivalent to a full-time job, then go for it. If you're perfectly happy with your own job (and busy with it too), then you should definitely think about hiring a wedding planner!

Truth #3: Prices are not inflated just because of the word "wedding". I know there's that myth that floats around saying that services and products for weddings are expensive because the word "wedding" is associated with them. In fact, I used to believe it. The simple truth of the matter is that they're not. Going deeper into it, weddings are (usually) way more involved than your average birthday party or event. If it ever seems like something is priced higher than "normal," it's because that person realizes that providing services/products for a wedding requires more than your normal event. And in reality, you are expecting your wedding to be better than a backyard birthday party, right?

Truth #4: Inspiration is not replication. You don't have to replicate what you see on Pinterest or wedding blogs, do what you think is "popular," or what your friends did. The main goal of Pinterest and wedding blogs is to inspire brides. Sure, it's great to be inspired by the ideas that you see, but know that you don't have to incorporate every single thing into your wedding. In fact, weddings have different styles, so it's okay to think mason jars are cute and not incorporate them into your modern wedding. You don't have to do something in particular at your wedding just because you think it's the thing to do, or because all of your friends did it. Details are wonderful, but they're even more wonderful when they're unique to you, and no one else. Get inspired, and then take a step back to infuse your personalities and your story into your details. Your wedding is your wedding, and it should be a reflection of you and your fiancé, not a reflection of the most popular wedding on the internet.

Truth #5: DIY isn't for everyone. Ah, the infamous DIY. It seems like just about everything is DIY nowadays, doesn't it? In my world, the ever-so-popular DIY in weddings should be seen as "handmade" as opposed to DIY -- because thanks to the advent of Etsy, oftentimes DIY items aren't actually created by the bride. To me, DIY is actually doing everything for your wedding. This means invitations, favors, setting up, hair and makeup, food, desserts -- everything. It's a huge undertaking, and it's most definitely not right for everyone. Even if you want to just DIY your favors -- I did that, and let me tell you... it takes way longer than you'll expect it to! Which is why DIY isn't for everyone. If you're crafty, and your friends and family are crafty, and they all want to lend a helping hand, then go for it. But if it's just you and your trusty craft supplies -- you may want to think twice about DIYing your wedding!

So there you have it -- some very important truths about planning a wedding! Have any of you discovered anything opposite to these truths?